New to BP from Washington DC!

[Michael Garofalo]

Hi BP Community,

My name is Mike Garofalo. I'm new to BiggerPockets and very excited to finally take the plunge and officially join the community. I've been listening to the podcast religiously and perusing the forums for the past 6 months, which has inspired me to take action and jumpstart my first investment property purchase. I've lived in the Washington, DC area my entire life, and in 2016 purchased my first primary residence in the Northwest quadrant of the city. This past fall I created an LLC, opened a HELOC against my primary residence, and used that to help close on my first investment property (bank owned REO) in the Southeast quadrant last month. Overall, I'm most interested in buy-and-holds, with a primary focus on condos, SFRs, and small multi-family. I have a wonderful day job here in the city, but view real estate as a key component for generating long-lasting wealth and greater stability during retirement.

In conclusion, I'd just like to say thank you to the BiggerPockets team and all of its members for fostering such an amazing community. It may sound cliche, but discovering BP has changed my life and instilled a powerful new way of thinking. I therefore hope to give back as much as possible to fellow members as I continue to gain experience in the world of REI.

Thanks for reading, and happy Tuesday!

-Mike